Nikiski, the heart of the Cook Inlet oil country is a full-service community of 4,406 residents that began as a small homesteaded community in the 1940s, located 16 miles north of Kenai. But with the discovery of oil on the Kenai Peninsula in 1957 Nikiski grew rapidly as a center of industrial activity thanks to its location. (https://secure.travelalaska.com/Destinations/Communities/Nikiski.aspx)